Great Jazz Artists Past and Present

A little history of Jazz Music

Jazz is referred to as "America's classical music," it is one of North America's oldest and most loved and enjoyed musical genres. The history of jazz goes back to the early part of the 20th century in the United States cities of New Orleans, Chicago and New York. Jazz is still very prominent in these cities today! Jazz has evolved over the decades to spann many musical forms. It combines elements of Big Band, Ragtime, Blues, Bebop and Swing.

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Jazz music is characterized by a strong rythmical structure with bluenotes, improvisation of melody, diverse patterns and solos! These characteristics have worked well together in establishing a profound musical style.

Louis Armstrong - a little history
(1901-1971)
Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. An amazing talent! Louis Armstrong was the defining musician of jazz music. He had phenomenol technical abilities, that he shared with great joy and spontaneity, he had a very creative and musical mind that still dominates Jazz to this day. He was the biggest influence on the history of jazz music. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from the city of New Orleans. He was from a very poor family and at a young age was sent to reform school. While he attended there he learned how to play the cornet. At age 14, he was released from the school! He loved music and would go to the clubs to listen to the bands. An older gentlemn who played in one of the bands acted as a father figure to Louis. His name was Joe"King" Oliver, he gave Louis his first instrument and got him started playing in a band!

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Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 - September 28, 1991)

Miles Davis was another one of the greatest influences and important figure in jazz history. He was born in East St. Louis and came from a family that was well-to-do financially. He became an amazing trumpeter and well known jazz composer! He had his own unmistable style and an amazing vocal range! He became famour both for his melodic style and at times for his confrontational personality! He always dressed in the most fashionable attire as he was a well payed musician! He was a highly influential jazz trumpeter!

Michael Buble was born in a suburb of Vancouver, B.C. in September of 1975. Michael was introduced to the music of the swing era through his grandfather who asked him to learn songs from this genre. He introduced him to great music by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, the Mills Brothers, Bobbi Darin and Dean Martin to name a few. Michael came to realize that he loved this musical style and wanted to become a singer and be able to perform for people! He won a Canadian talent contest and eventually he was introduced to Grammy-producing David Foster who signed Michael up with his first recording contract! He is now a well known swing/jazz singer!

Nora Jones the young girl with the most enticing voice. Nora Jones was born March 30th, 1979 in New York City, New York! She was raised by her mother in Dallas, Texas. Her mother recognized that Nora had a strong aptitude for music. As Nora grew she came to realize that she was very interested in the piano. She was a career minded girl who came to understand that playing jazz piano could open doors for her future. She ended up majoring in Jazz Piano and soon found herself working with local musicians and songwriters who after hearing her sing encouraged her to pursue her career! She started a band and sung lead vocals and played piano and was soon signed up by Bluenote Recording! She has won Grammy awards and is amazing everyone with her sultry voice!

Another great Jazz artist is Diana Krall! She was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia where she began playing piano at the age of four. At the age of 15, she began performing for the weekend crowd at a local steak & brew. Later she won a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee School of Music where she studied intensely for two years. After moving to Los Angeles she met her mentors Jimmy Rowles, John Clayton and Ray Brown who encouraged Diana to sing!It was in L.A. where Diana's career took off! She knows her music and what fit's her voice. She has gone on to win Grammy's and become a most amazing jazz singer and pianist! If you haven't heard her, you must check out her deep rich tones and great songs!

Aretha Louise Franklin was born in March of 1942. She is a well known American R&B soul singer, songwriter, and pianist. She is known as the Queen of Soul! She is well known for her soul music but is also great at jazz, rock, blues, pop and gospel as well! She is widely acclaimed for her passionate vocal style and strong vocal range. In 2008, the American music magazine Rolling Stone magazine ranked Aretha Franklin as the #1 Greatest Singer of all time! An amazing accomplishment!

Paul Winter is a well known jazz musician. An award winning saxophone player. He began playing the saxophone at the young age of four years old. He first started playing in school bands, then in dixie land bands and then on to bigger bands. He is known for his great bandleading as well as being an amazing composer.